Microsoft has a new program that gives a stamp of approval to select practice test providers.
Testing the Practice Test Providers
Microsoft has a new program that gives a stamp of approval to select practice test providers.
- By Steve Gzesh
- January 01, 2000
For a large and growing number of MCPs, a crucial step
in the certification process is taking a practice test
before taking the actual exam. Practice tests—the good
ones, anyway—accurately reflect both the content of the
actual Microsoft exam and the style of the test engine
and questions.
Practice tests can serve a variety of purposes. If you
already possess in-depth product and technical knowledge,
a practice test might be helpful early on, to confirm
expertise and pinpoint areas that require additional study.
If you don’t already have such a background, a practice
test should follow—not precede—coursework or other study
material. Practice tests are also helpful because actual
exams are designed to measure your skill level, not to
provide education or prescriptive feedback. A good product
can thus provide valuable feedback, helping you further
your education and confidence. The right practice product
can also familiarize you with computer-based testing and
timed-testing, which are used in all Microsoft exams.
But which practice test should you take? There’s a growing
body of tests available from third-party vendors that
are of varying and uneven quality. The virtues of various
practice tests are debated on MCP forums, and customers
frequently ask Microsoft for our recommendations.
To provide this sort of information to MCP candidates,
to steer them to what we believe are the most useful practice
tests available, and to provide a check on the overall
quality of practice tests, Microsoft has introduced the
MCP Practice Test Provider (PTP) program. The PTP program
logo on a practice test is your quality assurance of a
test that will supplement and contribute to your exam
preparation. Microsoft requires that PTP program participants:
- Submit practice tests to Microsoft for quality reviews.
- Offer products with the functionality to provide
feedback for each question.
- Cover all of the exam objectives as specified on
the Microsoft exam preparation guide.
- Provide a wide range of practice tests titles to
cover the content of nearly every Microsoft exam.
- Include a variety of questions and question types.
- Provide technical support for the user interface
of its products.
- Include real-world, complex scenarios that are similar
to those in MCP exams and that discourage rote memorization
of exam items.
- Support the integrity of MCP exams and the value
of the MCP credential.
We’re working hard to ensure that PTP program companies
cover virtually all MCP exams with practice tests. About
75 percent of exams already have practice tests (almost
all exams will be covered soon), and PTP program testers
have committed to issuing a practice test for each new
exam within 90 days of an exam’s debut. We’re also working
hard to ensure that tests are available in the same variety
of languages that reflect the diversity of our MCPs.
The first two PTP program participants are MeasureUp,
Inc. and Self Test Software, Inc. To learn more about
them and about the PTP program, visit www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/default.asp?PageID=mcp&
PageCall=practicetests&SubSite=examinfo.
About the Author
Steve Gzesh is the Account Manager for the Certification and Skills Assessment Group at Microsoft.